When an owner is ‘blown away’ by a design, it says something. That design, by Andrea Vallicelli, was an earlier version of the project now revealed as project Skyfall to be built at Sunrise Yachts in Turkey. The news of this new venture spread quickly.
Shipyard owners Baum and Guillaume Roché, and broker Worth Avenue Yachts, were elated to officially share the news during the Miami Beach Yacht & Brokerage Show this past February. As we sat down with the team for a chat, there was tangible excitement in the air.
The 68 metre (223′) Skyfall, with naval architecture by Mulder Design as well as Özgün Yacht Design of Turkey, will achieve 25 knots. ‘This is a bit of a faster boat,’ said Vallicelli’s engineer Alessandro Nazareth as he walked us through the layout of this elegant and slender five-deck yacht.
Some of the exciting features on this fast-displacement steel-and-aluminum yacht are the propulsion and power plant — Voith Linear Jets for propulsion, and MME microturbines instead of standard diesel generators.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Sunrise Yachts, Jean-Claude Carme, said in a recent interview that ‘The client has previously built the fastest yacht in the world and he is technically very exacting, as he should be. So for him to choose us to build his biggest yacht to date is recognition of what we’re trying to achieve….For a man who seeks “firsts” the MME microturbine system was the perfect fit. It can achieve a relatively high speed with a relatively low draft. This is important because of the client’s preference for cruising grounds such as the Bahamas and Florida.’
The yacht — which boasts a huge party deck able to accommodate 100 guests dock-side – will feature two masters, two VIPs and two guest cabins, as well as a sauna, beach club and float-in garage — also will break the mould when it comes to interior design. The project team is working with Focus Yacht Design, a relatively under-the-radar German design firm, which most recently worked on the 239-foot yacht Plan B built at ADM in Kiel, Germany.
Whether the yacht actually will be christened Skyfall when she launches is a matter of debate.